Portable and disposable smoking pipe

ABSTRACT

A smoking pipe is constructed of a flat sheet having perforated creases enabling the sheet to be folded into a rectangular tube. The tube may be held together by adhesive or other fastening solutions. An aperture in the sidewall of the sheet contains a metal screen that can be folded into the interior of the tube to prevent loss of combustibles contained therein. At one end of the sheet, a cotton barrier forms a spark arrestor when the pipe is assembled.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of smoking accessories of existing art and more specifically relates to a smoking pipe.

RELATED ART

While many designs exist for rugged, artistic, and efficacious smoking implements, carrying a traditional smoking pipe may be problematic for some individuals. In some jurisdictions, having a smoking pipe may draw suspicion from authorities and may be branded as illicit paraphernalia. Users traveling across state lines may not wish to carry a pipe for fear of transgressing unknown prohibitions in states not their own. Further, traditional smoking pipes cause hassle in needing to clean small orifices after subsequent uses. Accordingly, there is perceived a need for a disposable smoking pipe which may be marketed in a form which, until assembly, cannot legally be considered a smoking implement.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,435 to Kenneth C. Miller relates to a folding smoking pipe. The described folding smoking pipe includes a foldable smoking pipe which is constructed from a flat blank of metal, small enough to fit in a wallet, that can be folded into a functional smoking pipe with an integrated bowl, screen, and stem. The stem is formed by multiple flat panels folded to create a passageway having an opening at one end. The stem has an upper panel with holes in it to form the screen. The bowl is formed by multiple flat panels folded to surround the screen. The flat blank of metal has a number of fold lines, which preferably are etched to about one-half the thickness of the metal blank, joining adjacent panels. Miller's pipe is representative of prior art smoking pipe solutions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known smoking implement art, the present disclosure provides a novel portable and disposable smoking pipe. The general purpose of the present disclosure, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a portable and disposable smoking pipe.

A smoking pipe is constructed of a flat sheet having perforated creases enabling the sheet to be folded into a rectangular tube. The tube may be held together by adhesive or other fastening solutions. An aperture in the sidewall of the sheet contains a metal screen that can be folded into the interior of the tube to prevent loss of combustibles contained therein. At one end of the sheet, a cotton barrier forms a spark arrestor when the pipe is assembled.

For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. The features of the invention which are believed to be novel are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specification illustrate embodiments and methods of use for the present disclosure, a disposable smoking pipe, constructed and operative according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the disposable smoking pipe during an assembled condition, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the disposable smoking pipe of FIG. 1 during a non-assembled condition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pipe assembly of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pipe assembly of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like designations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a smoking implement and more particularly to a disposable smoking pipe as used to improve the portability and disposability of a smoking pipe.

Generally, the portable and disposable smoking pipe is a device which, in its original configuration, is not usable as a smoking implement and can contain no combustible. This device takes the shape of a flat card. When a user wishes to covert the device to a pipe, the user folds the card along four creaselines, fastens the two longitudinal ends together, fills the now-assembled pipe with a combustible, and folds down the screen inside the pipe. Subsequently, the combustible may be lit and smoked.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings by numerals of reference, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4, various views of a disposable smoking pipe 100.

FIG. 1 shows a disposable smoking pipe during an ‘in-use’ condition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the pipe assembly 100 may include a rectangular sidewall foldable and formable into a smoking pipe as illustrated. Screen 120 may be embedded within rectangular sidewall 110 to act as a limiter for combustibles contained within pipe assembly 100. Prior to use, screen 120 is folded up inline with rectangular sidewall 110. However, after pipe assembly 100 is filled with combustibles and prior to use, screen 120 may be folded down within pipe assembly 100 to intersect the interior passage of pipe assembly 100 and prevent combustibles from leaving the interior of pipe assembly 100. Pipe assembly 100 may be assembled by an adhesive attaching one longitudinal side of rectangular sidewall 110 to the opposite side. Rectangular sidewall 110 may be constructed of a paper product in an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows the disposable smoking pipe of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As above, the pipe assembly 100 may include rectangular sidewall 110 (shown laid flat) which may be characterized by exterior-side 112 (FIG. 3) and interior-side 114. Rectangular sidewall 110 may also be characterized by creaselines 116 which allow rectangular sidewall 110 to be folded into a box shape having two open ends, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Four folds are made, one along each creaseline 116. As shown, before use, screen 120 may be folded up and fill aperture 118 which perforates rectangular sidewall 110. Metallic laminate 130 may partially cover interior-side 114 of rectangular sidewall 110. Likewise, cotton laminate 140 may partially cover interior-side 114 of rectangular sidewall 110. When rectangular sidewall 110 is folded and assembled, cotton laminate 140 forms a spark arrestor partially or fully intersecting the interior passageway of smoking pipe 100. Cotton laminate 140 should not be so dense as to significantly impede the passage of air through it. It is preferable that metallic laminate 130 and cotton laminate 140 do not overlap. Metallic laminate 130 acts as a thermal barrier to prevent rectangular sidewall 110 from combusting when combustibles contained within pipe assembly 110 are lit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pipe assembly of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Four parallel creaselines 116 may include first-crease 162, second-crease 164, third-crease 166, and the fourth-crease 168 (in order from left to right as shown). Creaslines 116 may be partial lacerations or dotted lacerations of rectangular sidewall 110. As shown, creaselines 116 delineate and divide rectangular sidewall 110 into first-panel 170, second-panel 172, third-panel 174, fourth-panel 176, and fifth-panel 178 (in order from left to right as shown). As in the illustrated embodiment, aperture 118 preferably perforates third-panel 174. As illustrated, screen 120 may be folded away from rectangular sidewall 110, as can be done in either direction, but most preferably to fold screen 120 into the interior of pipe assembly 100 prior to ignition of combustibles. Screen 120 may be folded on or more times upon itself to increase the density, thickness, and rigidity of screen 120.

Preferably, each of first-panel 170, second-panel 172, third-panel 174, fourth-panel 176, and fifth-panel 178 are rectangular in size. Also, each of first-panel 170, second-panel 172, third-panel 174, fourth-panel 176, and fifth-panel 178 may comprise equivalent area to each other to result in a smoking pipe having a square bore when assembled. First-panel 170 and fifth-panel 178 may also be adhered to each other (such as in the embodiment of FIG. 1), such that when first-panel 170 is joined to fifth-panel 178, first-crease 162, second-crease 164, third-crease 166, and the fourth-crease 168 each define angles which together sum to three-hundred and sixty-degrees, and rectangular sidewall 110 forms a rectangular tube. Preferably, aperture 118 and screen 120 each are rectangular in shape, and may be square in some embodiments. Aperture 118 is disposed between second-crease 164 and third-crease 166, and may also perforate metallic laminate 130 (FIG. 2). Screen 120 is a metallic screen (i.e. stainless steel).

Also illustrated is an embodiment of the pipe assembly whereby fasteners are provided for affixing first-panel 170 to fifth-panel 178 without adhesive. First-panel 170 (or alternatively, fifth-panel 178) may include one or more tabs 140. Correspondingly, fifth-panel 178 (or alternatively, first-panel 170) may include slits 142 through which tabs 140 may pass and thereby retain first-panel 170 to fifth-panel 178. Tabs 140 may be more or less T-shaped with rounded tips so that they are easier to insert into slits 142 than remove.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pipe assembly of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Illustrated is an embodiment whereby lacerations 180 are provided on rectangular sidewall 110 to enable affixation of first-panel 170 to fifth-panel 178 without adhesive. Lacerations 180 may be diagonally cut into opposing edges of rectangular sidewall 110, and separate each of first-panel 170 (FIG. 3) and fifth-panel 178 (FIG. 3) into first-tab 182, second-tab 184, and third-tab 186, as shown.

In some embodiments, a kit may be provided containing multiples of smoking pipe assembly 100.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary and numerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readily envisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which are intended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention. Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. 

What is claimed is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:
 1. A pipe assembly able to contain a combustible, the pipe assembly comprising: a rectangular sidewall having an exterior-side, an interior-side, four parallel creaselines comprising a first-crease, a second-crease, a third-crease, and a fourth-crease adjacently ordered, and an aperture perforating both the exterior-side and interior-side; a screen affixed within the aperture; a metallic laminate partially covering the interior-side of the rectangular sidewall; and a cotton laminate partially covering the interior-side of the rectangular sidewall; such that the metallic laminate and the cotton laminate do not overlap; wherein the first-crease, the second-crease, the third-crease, and the fourth-crease divide the rectangular sidewall into a first-panel, a second-panel, a third-panel, a fourth-panel, and a fifth-panel in adjacent order.
 2. The pipe assembly of claim 1, further comprising a kit comprising multiples of said pipe assembly,
 3. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture and the screen each are rectangular in shape.
 4. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture perforates the metallic laminate.
 5. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture is disposed between the second-crease and the third-crease.
 6. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the screen is a metallic screen.
 7. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the foil has a maximum thickness of 0.016 millimeters, and the rectangular sidewall has a maximum length of three inches.
 8. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first-panel, the second-panel, the third-panel, the fourth-panel, and the fifth-panel are rectangular in shape.
 9. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the first-panel, the second-panel, the third-panel, the fourth-panel, and the fifth-panel delineate equivalent surface area to each other.
 10. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the first-panel and the fifth-panel are adhered to each other, such that when the first-panel is joined to the fifth-panel, the first-crease, the second-crease, the third-crease, and the fourth-crease each define angles which together sum to three-hundred and sixty-degrees, and the rectangular sidewall forms a rectangular tube.
 11. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the rectangular sidewall is constructed of a paper product.
 12. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the aperture perforates the third-panel.
 13. The pipe assembly of claim 1, further comprising adhesive disposed on at least one of the interior-side and on one of the first-panel and the second-panel.
 14. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the screen is affixed to the rectangular sidewall along a single linear axis only, such that the screen may be rotated at an angle relative to the aperture.
 15. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein the four parallel creaselines run longitudinally along the rectangular sidewall.
 16. The pipe assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the four parallel creaselines are interrupted lacerations of the rectangular sidewall.
 17. A disposable pipe assembly able to contain a combustible, the disposable pipe assembly comprising: a rectangular sidewall having an exterior-side, an interior-side, four parallel creaselines comprising a first-crease, a second-crease, a third-crease, and a fourth-crease adjacently ordered, and an aperture perforating both the exterior-side and interior-side; a screen affixed within the aperture; a metallic laminate partially covering the interior-side of the rectangular sidewall; and a cotton laminate partially covering the interior-side of the rectangular sidewall; such that the metallic laminate and the cotton laminate do not overlap; wherein the first-crease, the second-crease, the third-crease, and the fourth-crease divide the rectangular sidewall into a first-panel, a second-panel, a third-panel, a fourth-panel, and a fifth-panel in adjacent order; wherein the aperture and the screen each are rectangular in shape; wherein the aperture perforates the metallic laminate; wherein the aperture is disposed between the second-crease and the third-crease; wherein the screen is a metallic screen; wherein each of the first-panel, the second-panel, the third-panel, the fourth-panel, and the fifth-panel are rectangular in shape; wherein each of the first-panel, the second-panel, the third-panel, the fourth-panel, and the fifth-panel delineate equivalent surface area to each other; further comprising adhesive disposed on the interior-side and on one at least one of of the first-panel and the second-panel; wherein when the first-panel and the fifth-panel are adhered to each other, such that when the first-panel is joined to the fifth-panel, the first-crease, the second-crease, the third-crease, and the fourth-crease each define angles which together sum to three-hundred and sixty-degrees, and the rectangular sidewall forms a rectangular tube; wherein the rectangular sidewall is constructed of a paper product; wherein the screen is affixed to the rectangular sidewall along a single linear axis only, such that the screen may be rotated at an angle relative to the aperture; and wherein the four parallel creaselines run longitudinally along the rectangular sidewall. 